SIP Cafe

Where to Lunch: When You Need to Take a Walk

Perhaps you were economical and had a homemade lunch today, or maybe you already went out to lunch but got something to go. Either way, you can afford 15 minutes out of the office. It could be excess energy, boredom, sleepiness, annoyance, or it could just be really sunny out, but some days you need to take a walk. 

Post Office Square Trellis 

When I need to walk and am not looking for much to munch, I head to SIP Café. Located in Post Office Square, this window-walled café benefits from a phenomenal location. Although a post office is notably missing, the Norman B. Leventhal park features a fantastic lawn, a fountain, numerous benches, and a trellised walkway that transports you to the Secret Garden as soon as you sit down. (Nothing beats reading by vine-filtered light.) In the summer, one can also find a lending library and seat cushions that make whiling away the afternoon in the sun that much more appealing. So, while SIP offers outdoor seating, it’s really just icing on the icing. There is no shortage of places to bask in the sun with your iced tea or to lazily dunk biscotti into your coffee. 

The café offers sandwiches and soups, but I only ever go for an afternoon pick-me-up—something short and sweet, like the name. Even with a display case of tantalizing loose-leaf teas, SIP can make me regret my decision to go coffee-free. On recommendation from a barista, I once got a killer mini-latte with a zing of ginger that kicked the pants straight off a lingering hangover. Whatever I get, it pairs perfectly with the variety of countertop mini-treats, like baby biscotti. One word of caution: the green tea is not straight green tea and has a floral tinge to it that I find less appealing (I always mean to ask what it is. Jasmine, maybe?) Also, when you order a small, you get a small.

That said, SIP is a good spot for an short afternoon excursion on a sunny day and fabulous people-watching, from indoors or out.

SIP Café

Zero Post Office Square, Boston

Corner of Congress and Franklin St. 

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Sakurabana

Where to Lunch: On a Rainy Day

Grey, rainy days like today are good for cuddling in blankets, a good book or bad TV, and soup. 

If you're stuck at work in Boston's Financial District, only one of those is feasibly within your grasp. Enter Sakurabana with a steaming bowl of one of my very favorite comfort foods: sansai udon soup.

Sansai Udon 

I used to find this pot of goodness at Ittyo, the last in a line of Japanese restaurants at the Porter Square Exchange. They recently had a change of management and, while they added all sorts of build-your-own noodle bowls, my beloved bowl of mountain vegetables (literal translation of sansai) is no longer a menu staple. True, I could probably build a better bowl, but at what price? (Two or three dollars more. It's a principle thing, really.)

Thinking I would be sansai-udon-less forever, I was happy to find Sakurabana on the corner of Broad Street and Milk Street. The name of this spacious Japanese restaurant translates to "cherry blossom." Hence, the pink blossoms on their awning and the small vases of pink flowers attached to the windows. It's a sit-down place, which means adding tip and tax into your meal, but it also means feeling snug and warm while watching the rain through the slotted window screens.

Edamame

I always, always go with the sansai udon, so I can't speak to the sushi. Though I'm not 100 percent sure what sansai are, I know there's mushrooms, carrots, and some green bits; the udon is chewy and the veggies are woodsy and together it's totally yummy. On a particularly chilly day, I add a cup of hot green tea (75 cents.) If I'm feeling like my pockets have some extra padding, I'll also do an appetizer of edamame or gyoza. The edamame is always fun to eat, though level of saltiness has varied with Sakurabana.

Lunchtime can get crowded so it's sometimes better to catch this place on an off-hour. Plus, then you can hear the Bedtime-Magic-esque soft rock they play as you fill your stomach with warmth and nutrients.

Sakurabana
57 Broad St., Boston
Ate: Edamame, Sansai Udon, and Hot Green Tea
Total: $16 (with tax, without tip)

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Fόumami

Where to Lunch: If You Need Something Different and Delish

Today, as I'm sure has happened to you before, dear reader(s), I just didn't know what I wanted to eat. I was in the mood for something filling but not heavy and, most of all, I wanted something new. I mentally scrolled through all my usual options, and my stomach turned its nose up at each.

Looking for the impossible cross between spring rolls and a hearty kale stew that my stomach was demanding, I turned to Google. I quickly found Boston Magazine's "The 50 Best Restaurants 2012" but was disappointed to see only one candidate representing the Financial District (Jody Adam's Trade, filed for now in our "Places to Taste" folder). 

Frustrated again that a blog like ours didn't already exist, I happened upon Fόumami. E. and I had gone here once for lunch but aborted the plan when the line was stretched out the door and we realized our then-hungover tummies were not quite ready for all this Asian sandwich bar has to offer. Today, looking at their menu online, every single blessed thing sounded like just what my belly needed. Fresh, hearty, and undoubtedly different.

I headed there with the chicken katsu sandwich in mind and splurged on an iced green tea, which brought my total to $10.50. 

chicken katsu sandwich and an iced green tea

The breaded chicken was crisp and salty, the cabbage and tomatoes were fresh and palate-cleansing, and the katsu sauce was tangy and sweet. But the best and most unique part was the bread, Foumami's Shao Bing. Their website describes it as an "unleavened bread somewhere between focaccia and pita" but it reminded me of a mix between naan and scallion pancakes. Chewy like naan and crispy like a scallion pancake but much less oily. I felt like a caveman chomping at the somewhat tough fold but I was hungry and the grilled flakes of bread that chipped off were perfect for sopping up whatever katsu sauce I'd lost in biting.

My sandwich came with a pickle (wrapped in a cute little saran-wrap bag) and the smallest bag of Cape Cod chips I've ever seen (.5 oz). Minimal sides, but I was full by the time I was done. If that doesn't do it for you, they offer a variety of fun and foreign snacks at the front counter, including wasabi peas.

It seems most people take their lunch to go but I ate in the restaurant, which was clean and airy: basic white plastic tables and chairs, benches along the windows, high ceilings, green and white walls. It was pretty quiet when I got there at noon. Non-invasive, cool, vibe-y tunes played like upscale hold music. While I ate, there was a consistent line of about 8-10 people, stretching from the main entrance to the counter and those who filtered in from the side entrance inside 225 Franklin were greeted with tasty bread snacks from the pick-up counter. Most everyone ordered a sandwich, but they also offer killer salads and a daily soup. You can check their Facebook or Twitter to figure out the dailies. I'm keeping my eye out for when the wonton soup rolls around.

After I ate, I exited onto High Street and sat in the sun on the stone border of the small topiary gardens outside. Mini-japanese maples rooted in light grey stones-- very zen, highly recommended.

Fόumami
225 Franklin St., Boston (entrance at the corner of High Street and Oliver)
Ate: Chicken Katsu Sandwich and Iced Green Tea
Total: $10.50

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